Fireside Women Warriors

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Lovers Story

They see each other from across the room in a cafe in Taromina, Sicily. She is young he older. He realizes that he can only talk to her but not have a relationship with her. Although the women are no longer chaperoned, it is still old fashioned in this part of Italy. The years pass by and she turns 21. He sees her again with her friends. They start to date and then get engaged. He has waited a long time for her and his heart still yearns for her. She is happy and fun. He is charming and very much a gentleman. He sends her flowers, love letters and small gifts. She finds that she has loved him from the moment she saw him. They marry and she has saved every scrap of paper and gift he has given her. Always, they enjoy the sunset together and walk the passegeggiata in the evening.

This painting started with the dark papers and the blue paint. You can see Mount Etna in the distance next to the town. It is both painterly and linear. It is my impression of my favorite town in Sicily, Taromina. The town has no cars. You drive to a large parking lot and walk to your hotel. The view is to the south. Taromina lies on the slopes of Monte Tauro and overlooks the sea. It is a treasure and the site of remnants of its Greek and Roman past. It is very romantic. It is my favorite town in Sicily. I chose to keep the colors in the painting and draw the town rather than paint it. For almost a month, I left the spot where the Lovers are blank. Then one evening, I picked up a watercolor pencil and added the Lovers. She has several trees in her hair. I think it is time to go back to Taromina.

About Me

I am a colorist, a painter. I believe that we humans are symbolic beings. Fine art collage is a delightful medium. Watercolors are the most beautiful medium for the pure use of pigments on paper. I start with a color idea, a vision and the and the work evolves into a composition with color as the primary subject. While traveling, I paint watercolors en plein-aire, these are incorporated in my collages. I also like fantasy visions using symbols, icons and humor. My paintings are the way that I view the world using my imagination. I am a self taught artist and teacher celebrating magic and the love of life.